You Make It Christmas
by lovejag
Summary: No, no its not a Christmas story. Only the first part takes place on Christmas. This is my take on the baby deal, and I promise its nothing like any other story dealing with it. Complete! I now have a link to the song look on my profile for link.
1. You Make It Christmas Each Morning

"You Make it Christmas" 1/5  
  
By Rita Widmer  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own JAG. Nor do I own the song "You Make It Christmas" which was written by Rupert Holmes, and originally sung by Betty Buckley on "Remember WENN."  
  
Rating: PG  
  
AN: No this is not a Christmas story unless you count one scene out of five a Christmas story. It is more of a general holiday story. This is my take on the baby deal. I promise it's not like any other story about the baby deal.  
  
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~~You make it Christmas each morning~~  
  
Mac's Apartment  
  
Christmas Eve  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Over five and a half years ago, when I agreed to this baby deal with Harm, I never expected it to be like this for us. First, I thought it would never take us five years to even try for a child. Well my dreams for that were dashed in Sydney. Then I thought maybe we would go for it, but do it the scientific way. Another thought would be if we went for it, it would be like two horny teenagers going after one goal, a baby. My last idea was Harm would expect us to get married and then have a child.  
  
None of those ideas came to fruition. When Harm and I talked about the baby deal, I asked him if he expected us to get married or were there any set rules for making the baby. He sat down, looked at me, and told me that he wanted to do this the old-fashioned way, but we weren't going to go at it like horny teenagers. Each time we tried had to be special for both of us. He wanted the making of the baby to be so special we would always remember it.  
  
Well, he was right. I remember each of those nights, and I wrote them down in a diary to remember forever. I smile as I hear the knock on the door. My stomach reminds me how late he is with our Christmas dinner. The sweat on my hands reminds me I'm afraid of what will happen after tomorrow's gift opening.  
  
"Come in, flyboy," I call out from the kitchen.  
  
"Hey Mac, where are you?"  
  
"I'm in the kitchen. You better hurry with that food you promised. A hungry Marine is not healthy for sailors."  
  
"Don't I know. The food just needs to be dished out."  
  
I give him a gentle kiss as he comes up to me. "Merry Christmas."  
  
"It is now. Merry Christmas."  
  
We ate a quiet dinner, and just enjoyed each other's company. In the morning, he woke me up, because he couldn't wait any longer for his present. I'm always the first one to wake up, but I should know my flyboy is like a child on Christmas. He wants those presents.  
  
Thinking back I don't remember him bringing in a present for me. Probably his cocky self thinks that he doesn't have to give me anything more than himself, and maybe fulfilling the baby deal.  
  
I must have not been moving fast enough for him, because I feel myself being picked up off the bed. Of course being a marine I have to protest a little, but well I'm enjoying it too much to care.  
  
When he finally gets me to the living room, he sets me down, but doesn't let me get away without a kiss.   
  
"Go sit down. I'll get your present," I tell him.  
  
"Yes ma'am."  
  
I mock glare at him, but my mouth does that twitch thing again giving me away. I'm going to have to do something about that, or I'll never be able to keep a secret from him. Well I have kept one secret from him, but he never asked about it so I didn't have to lie or omit anything.  
  
I hand him the slightly rounded envelope. He looks at it questioningly, and then looks at me with a look that says is this all. I just wave my hand for him to continue.  
  
He reads over the card that I gave him. Let me tell you its sappy. It had me crying in the middle of the Hallmark store. He looks ready to say something, but I once again wave my hand.  
  
Reading over the first piece of paper, I see the smile grow on his face.   
  
"Did you write about every night we spent together?" he asks me.  
  
"Yes, I wanted to remember every time just in case it was the night we made our child. That one is from Thanksgiving. Go on and read the next page."  
  
He does, and I can tell when it finally hits him what his present is from me. His full blown flyboy smile is on his face now. I find myself a seat before my knees give out. He stands up before me, and looks me in the eye.  
  
"We're having a baby?!" he cries happily.  
  
All I can do is shake my head yes. For the second time this morning I feel myself being lifted up in his arms to hold me tight. After moments go by, I hear him whisper, "Thank you, Sarah, thank you."  
  
"No, thank you, Harm. You gave me the greatest present I could ever receive."  
  
He gently sets me on the couch once again. I smile up at him. He sits down next to me, and takes out a small box.  
  
"I want you to have this as a promise ring."  
  
I open it up to find a beautiful ring. Not a diamond, but to me its more precious then that. He puts his finger under my chin so I look at him once again.  
  
"I was going to tell you this, this morning, but I never could mean it more then I do now. Sarah, I love you. I want more then just our friendship and this baby deal. I want one day for us to get married, and have more children."  
  
With tears in my eyes, I answer, "I love you too, Harm. I want that too very much." I find myself in his arms once again being kissed by the man who loves me and whom I love back.  
  
TBC...  
  
You make it Christmas each morning And you make every night like New Year's Eve, Then you light up my sky like the fourth of July, Such an April fool I to believe,  
  
And so on some warm summer evening Should the heat get too much for us to take, Simply say that I'm yours and you make it Christmas Each day of love that we make 


	2. And You Make Every Night

"You Make It Christmas" 2/5  
  
By Rita Widmer  
  
Disclaimer: Nope I still don't own JAG. I'll settle for being a writer on the show. Dreams, dreams, dreams.  
  
AN: Thank you for all the wonderful feedback. I love it!   
  
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~~And you make every night like New Year's Eve~~  
  
Dec. 31, 2004  
  
Harm's Apartment  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Oh where can those shoes be? I found them. Sitting down I start putting on my shoes when I remember I don't have any socks on yet. Honestly, I'm a nervous wreck tonight. It's the first time Mac and I will appear in public as a couple.   
  
Not only are we going to tell them we're dating, but that we're going to be parents. No one is going to believe us when we tell them we just started dating. In a way maybe we've been dating this whole time, but we just didn't call it dating.   
  
Don't you have to call something a date before its a date? Well anyways, I don't really care about the problems this may cause. I finally got my girl, and I'm darn proud of it. I know she expected me to want us to get married before trying for a child, but we both knew it wasn't the right time.  
  
Our nights together were not only spent trying to make a child, but spent getting to know each other once again. Our friendship was built back up, and I think it helped that there no longer was repressed sexual tension between us. That need for more than friendship could be fulfilled.  
  
I allow myself to smile at the memories. The Admiral has not been appreciating my inopportune smiles at JAG since I found out that I was going to be a father. He might have understood better if he knew why I was smiling all the time, but we wanted to wait to tell him.   
  
The worst time I was caught smiling was in the middle of court. Mac was prosecuting and I was defending. She was questioning her witness, and all of a sudden the judge interrupted Mac to ask me if there was something funny.  
  
I quickly answered no ma'am and wiped off the smile on my face. Could I help it if my mind started imagining Mac large with our baby? It's not like I haven't done it before.   
  
I look at the time, and realize once again I'm going to be late picking Mac up. She is just going to have to teach me how to keep time without a watch. I wonder if that would work. Tell her I'll stop being late when she tells me how to keep time. Couldn't hurt, could it?  
  
I arrive ten minutes late to Mac's apartment. She opens her door, tapping her foot, and sending me that mock glare again. I could just kiss that look off her face. Why not? I lean down, and kiss her softly.  
  
She looks up at me totally astonished by my actions. A much better look, in my opinion. I love to keep her guessing what I'm going to do next. Is that a giggle from the woman standing before me? I look at her like she's grown two heads.   
  
"You do realize that you have two different colored socks on, don't you?" she asks. There's that giggle again.  
  
"Its the newest fashion."  
  
She's outright laughing now. "You've never been one to follow fashion trends, and that is one fashion trend that will never be popular."  
  
"Well, you see, as a bachelor, I have no one to point these details out to me."  
  
"And since when have you not paid attention to your attire? Are you nervous about tonight?"  
  
"No! I just want it to be perfect."  
  
"It will be Harm, because the three of us will be together."  
  
There goes that smile again. "Come on, mom, we're already going to be late."  
  
*************************************  
  
Bud and Harriet's home  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Now who's nervous?" I ask Mac as we come up to the door. She hesitates before going up the stairs.  
  
"I'm not nervous. I just don't know what to expect when we tell them the news."  
  
She's nervous, but won't admit it. I fight to keep a smirk off my face. "Come on. We won't know for sure until we go inside."  
  
"I'm coming, I'm coming."  
  
We get shooed in the house as soon as the door is open. No one makes a comment about us showing up together, but we are split apart soon after we enter. It was an hour later before I was able to get back to her.   
  
"May I have this dance?" I ask Mac.  
  
"You may."   
  
The time until midnight passed quickly as we danced together and apart. We switched partners, but always ended up back together. Mac led us into counting down to midnight, and for the first time we kissed in front of our friends.  
  
I was not quite sure what I was expecting, but silence wasn't it. It was Harriet that spoke first.   
  
"You're dating?! How long? I'm so happy for you."  
  
"Since Christmas, but we have more news for you all," said Mac. "I'm pregnant."  
  
"But you said you've only been dating since Christmas. Christmas last year?" Harriet asked, clearly surprised.  
  
"We've both wanted children, and we promised to give each other a child."  
  
The stunned looked of those around us, in a way, surprised me, but I should have expected it. People just don't go around making a child with someone on purpose without being in a relationship.  
  
Once again it's Harriet that comes to our rescue. She came up to Mac, and hugged her.  
  
"Congratulations, Mac, Harm."  
  
With those words the others came out of their stunned poses, and came up to congratulate us. The party soon died down after that as it got late, but I could tell a difference in Mac.  
  
On the way back to her place, I confront her with her change of attitude. "Mac, what's wrong?"  
  
"I thought they would be happy for us."  
  
"They were, Mac. They were just stunned at first. Just give them a chance to get used to it."  
  
"I want to believe that, Harm. I do, but you saw their faces. At least they are happy about us getting together."  
  
"It's not every day that people who aren't in a relationship try to make a child together."  
  
"Good point. I'll give them a chance."  
  
************************************  
  
Jan. 3, 2005  
  
JAG HQ  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
When Mac entered her off on Monday, she found a note from Harriet and a brightly wrapped present. She read the note first.  
  
*Dear Mac,  
  
This is a gift I was given from Bud the day after he found out we were going to have A.J. It helped me with all the questions I had with my pregnancy.   
  
Congratulations, Harriet.*  
  
She quickly opened the present, and found a book on pregnancy. Harriet walked into Mac's office as she flashed through the book.  
  
"Hi, ma'am."  
  
"It's Mac. Thank you for the book."  
  
"You're welcome. I thought you would like it. I remember being scared about what was happening to me."  
  
"I haven't had much chance to be scared. My life is changing so much in a week."  
  
"Bud and I wanted to let you know that we are very happy for you. We were just stunned on Friday night."  
  
"Harm helped me understand that later that night. I know we didn't do things the normal way, but in a way it helped us finally admit our feelings and rebuild our friendship."  
  
"Then it was all worth it. I need to go back to work. Congrats again."  
  
"Thanks, Harriet. We can talk more later."  
  
"Yeah, I want some juicy details about you and Harm."  
  
"You've got it." Mac watched Harriet leave her office with a smile on her face. Things were going to be just fine.  
  
TBC... 


	3. 3a You Light Up My Sky

"You Make It Christmas" 3a/5  
  
By Rita Widmer  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything!   
  
Feedback: Please!  
  
Then you light up my sky like the fourth of July, Such an April fool I to believe  
  
April 1, 2005  
  
JAG HQ  
  
'Marines don't bounce with excitement, marines don't bounce with excitement, marines don't bounce with excitement.' I think that if I keep this mantra up I will actually be able to not bounce, and go back to work. At least, body, let me walk like the marine I am until I get to my office. Is that so much to ask?  
  
After all body, you kept me indoors for the last three months with bad morning sickness. I let you have control then, but let me have this sort of semblance of marine for awhile now.   
  
This is the first big case I've put on since the morning sickness hit me hard in January. Sturgis and I were on the USS Patrick Henry, and I spent every day there throwing up. Poor Sturgis was completely freaking out, and he kept calling Harm and having me call Harm. After that the new Admiral wouldn't let me out on the ships until I got over my morning sickness.  
  
I'm finally over that morning sickness with great relief, and though it's not really a case I'm working on its good enough for me. They need me on a 2-week stint as an interpreter on some government fact-finding mission. The Admiral reassured me that they knew I was pregnant, and that they would make sure to take every precaution available.  
  
"So you're going?" Harm's voice startles me as I enter my office.  
  
"How did you find out so quickly?" I ask.  
  
"Office scuttlebutt, and I see I'm correct since you didn't deny it."  
  
"Yes, I'm going and I don't see any problem with it. Its not like I'm going to do this for much longer, and I'm tired of sitting behind the desk doing paperwork, because of morning sickness."  
  
"You're pregnant, Mac. That should be a good enough reason alone that you shouldn't go."  
  
"I'm pregnant? And here I thought I was having 3 month long flu. Of course, I know I'm pregnant."  
  
"Not only are you putting yourself in danger, but also you're putting our child in danger. The child you are carrying."  
  
"They know I'm pregnant. If they thought I was going to be in any real danger they wouldn't have put me on as interpreter. There are plenty of interpreters who aren't pregnant that could do this, but they wanted me especially."  
  
"Things happen, Mac."  
  
"What are you afraid of, Harm? That it will end like Paraguay did?"  
  
I watch him shake involuntarily at the mention of Paraguay. It was one thing we never really dealt with, but is always in the back of our minds.  
  
"Harm, Webb is not even getting near me on this mission. He has nothing to do with this mission. He's the only one that everyone here including you that blame him more for what happened in Paraguay than me."  
  
"That's not true, Mac, and you know it."  
  
"Oh, oops, you blame me more, should have known. That's why after it all happened, you never answered my phone calls or called me back. That's why the Admiral yelled at me, Sturgis treated me like dirt under his fingernails, and Bud and Harriet were barely treating me like I was a fellow coworker and friend. Guess what, Harm? Webb is the only one during that time that treated me like I was their friend. I turned to him, because there was no one else to turn to."  
  
"At least, you had them in your life. I had no one. No one, Mac."  
  
"And you chose to make it that way. You didn't call anybody during the whole time you were in the CIA. I got to sit here, and hear all about how they were worried about you and got questioned by them all like I knew more then they did." I pull something out of the drawer, and hand it to him. "Those are all my requests for transfers and a resignation letter. Until the day you came back here, I had already started looking for a new place to work. I knew once you came back everything would start getting better and it did. But then I had to face your awful remarks to me."  
  
"I can remember some dingers you threw at me, Mac. This has not been merely one sided. If I remember correctly, I apologized for them. The harshest comment though was while we were still in Paraguay. Do you remember one of the last things you said to me? You told me we never would work. I don't care about being on top or not. All I had ever wanted was a little time. You never gave me time after Sydney, on the Guadalcanal, nor in Paraguay. If I don't have the answers right away, you walk away. I gave up everything for you, Mac. That should mean something to you. Now the whole bullpen is staring at us. We need to go back to work, and tonight we are going to talk about this more. Hopefully more calmly. I'll bring some dinner to your place at 7."   
  
I watch him slowly walk out. Sometimes I think I'm a fool to ever believe we could work this out. What more suiting day to feel like a fool then on April Fool's Day?  
  
Mac's Apartment  
  
Harm walks right into the apartment without knocking on the door. Amazingly, he's right on time. I watch him set down the dinner on the coffee table, and he turns to look at me.  
  
"Come over, sit down and eat. There will be no complaining about how healthy the food is, and how there is no dead meat. I have no idea what they will be serving you while you're away, but as long as I have a choice you will eat healthy. Knowing you if you get too busy you might forget a meal or two."  
  
"The only time I haven't eaten a meal is when my stomach wouldn't allow it. Harm, I love this baby that I'm carrying. If I really thought I was putting it in great danger, I wouldn't go on this mission. I know that much more about it then you do."  
  
After getting that out of my system, I finally do what he told me to do. He just sits and watches me, and I send him glares once in awhile to make sure he knows that I don't like all this healthy food.  
  
Once the food is gone, I sit back and look at him. The silence is reigning around us, and I decide I should start first. "Harm, when you came to Paraguay and rescued me, my first thought was that you did out of love. So after we got back to our hotel, I try to open up a conversation on us thinking you were ready to talk about it. Then when we weren't getting anywhere, and you were making wise cracks about Webb and I, I started thinking about it more. I realized that this wasn't the first time you were willing to give up everything for anyone. You were prepared to do it for Sergei, Bud, your father, and the line keeps going. Yes that makes me special, but it doesn't prove to me that you are in love with me. I needed confirmation that was your real reason for coming to rescue me."  
  
"Mac, I saw you kiss Webb. After that I started to doubt your feelings for me, and then you were hanging on him for the rest of the trip. If he was the one you wanted, then you made your choice."  
  
"You do everything to find the truth in a case, but when it comes to love you sit back and watch it walk out of your life. You didn't fight for me in Sydney nor in Paraguay. You never allowed me to understand that I had a choice between Mic and Webb and you. I thought my choices were they or no one, Harm."  
  
"What do you call kissing you on the Admiral's porch?"  
  
"I need more then mere words once in awhile, and some actions of love. I need both together, Harm. They both can be misinterpreted alone, but together I would have all the proof I needed of your love. 'You know the reason,' 'Not yet,' aren't good enough answers for me. By the end of Paraguay, I was sick and tired of waiting for both to come at the same time."  
  
"You gave up on us so easily."  
  
"I gave up on us easily? Are you kidding me? It's me that usually has to take the step forward in this relationship. The only time you tried is when I was on the Guadalcanal when I was not ready to deal with it all. I went away to get my head straightened back on, and find myself again. I can't do that if you are trying to throw in complications. What good would it be for us if I can't be myself Harm?"  
  
"I wanted to help straighten things out, and let you know that you have someone waiting for you back home. If you had waited a moment longer then you would have heard my answer, but you didn't. Can you honestly tell me that you never knew or felt my love for you before I told you I love you?"  
  
"The first time I felt it was the first time we tried to make this child. There were times before then that I thought maybe you did, but something would shatter my hope that it was real. This child was made out of our love. It's going to be part you, part me. Are you going to be able to handle the child if she is like me?"  
  
The stunned look on his face catches me by surprise. "Of course, Mac. I love that child you're carrying very much."  
  
"Then why do you always get upset and angry with me every time I take on a mission that I've been trained and have the skills to do? I was a perfectly good candidate to go on that mission with Webb. Why should I have turned it down?"  
  
"Because you could have been killed!"  
  
"So it's all right for you to take on flying missions that could cost you your life like you did with that dirty nuke, but I should sit home behind the desk where nothing could happen to me?"  
  
"Of course not, Mac, but you were going on a mission with Webb. Webb, you know the man who always has missions go wrong! You weren't just going on any mission, you were going on one that was very dangerous, and no one I trusted was with you. This time not only are you going into dangerous territory, but you are risking not just your life but the baby's life."  
  
"I can very well take care of myself, and interpreting is not a dangerous job. As long as I can physically go on cases or missions I will. If you don't like that, you better tell me now, so we can end this relationship."  
  
"Are you trying to get yourself killed, Mac? Do you have no regard what you do to others when you do these things?"  
  
"No, I am being me, a marine. Just get out, Harm. Come back to me when you can handle being with a marine."  
  
"Can you handle being with a man who loves you so much that it would kill him if something happened to you?" I turn away from him, and the only sound I hear is the door shutting behind Harm. It's the quiet after he leaves that allows the tears to fall. My body wracking with sobs, I fall on the ground holding my head in my hands. The tears never being stopped.   
  
"I was such an April Fool to believe we could make it."  
  
TBC... 


	4. 3b You Light Up My Sky

"You Make It Christmas" part 3b/5  
  
By Rita Widmer  
  
Disclaimers: DPB still hasn't called me to ask me to write for the show, so I have no exclusive claim to JAG.   
  
AN: I want to thank everyone for the reviews! You guys are the greatest. It's not easy writing a story that's mostly fluff when I write mostly drama. I hope that even if it is fluffy, it is still somewhat realistic.  
  
Please keep reviewing! It makes me smile and wanting to write.  
  
Mac's Apartment  
  
April 18  
  
I walk out of the elevator with a smile on my face, head held high, and ready to face whatever tomorrow will bring. The mission has rejuvenated my love for missions, and my need for some action. It is a part of me that I will always need, and if I lost it, it will be like losing part of myself.  
  
Harm was going to have to realize that if he wants a real relationship with me. I'm not doing this to hurt anyone, but to keep alive that need in me to be part of action and proving not only to others but myself that I am a marine.  
  
I try the door handle and find it unlocked. That's strange. I know I remembered to lock it before I left. It's an idiosyncrasy of mine when it comes to locked doors. I have to check it at least 3 times before I am sure it is locked. Harm laughs at me teasingly every time he sees me do it. I laugh right with him.  
  
Part of me knows why I do it, and it has nothing to do with the present. It has to do with my past. From Sadiq getting in last year, Coster stalking me, and to those years I spent hiding under my bed trying to block out my mother's screams. Somehow having my door locked made me feel in some strange way that I am protected from the evil that is in my life.  
  
I shake my head at my thoughts. This was not the time to go into that. I have a much bigger problem than that on my hands. Someone is in my apartment, and honestly I'm not happy about it.  
  
I slowly slip into the apartment ready to face whatever danger is in my way. The smell of pasta assaults my nose, and I realize who is in my kitchen.   
  
"Harm?" I barely speak above a whisper.  
  
"Hey, welcome home," he gives me a tentative hug. Nothing had been resolved before I left, and neither knows where that leaves us. Was that a small giggle I hear from Harm? I look up at him questioningly.  
  
He looks sheepishly away. "What is it, Harm?"  
  
"I felt how big your stomach was getting when I hugged you. I guess it just made me feel happy knowing that our child was growing inside you."  
  
"I feel that way every time I touch my stomach, take a bath, or struggle to get my uniform on. I'm going to have to switch to maternity soon."  
  
He opens my uniform slightly at the bottom, and I can feel his hand slide underneath. He rests his hand their for a moment before taking his hand away. "Come on, supper is ready. If it is like any other time I've traveled, you probably haven't eaten for the last 12 hours."  
  
"Not when you keep a secret stash of food around, but I am hungry."  
  
"Go sit down, and I'll bring the food to you. Then we need to have a talk about what happened before you left. I've done some serious thinking, and I hope you have done a little."  
  
"I have, Harm, and we need to talk it out."  
  
"We will, but first you are going to tell me how the mission went, and how you are doing?"  
  
Through bites of food, I told Harm what I could and what is worth telling. Everything went well except for that one moment, but Harm has no need to know about it. He would just bounce off the deep end, and lock me up next time I ever considered going on a mission. One of the men with us had as one of his job duties was to always keep me safe. There is not one person in the military or government that wants to be known as a baby-killer, because they sent me on a mission while pregnant. If they could help it, they were going to keep that from happening.  
  
After we put things away into the kitchen, he points me to the couch, and I sit down looking at him. I know he has things to say, and wants to say them first.  
  
He finally looks my way, and I can almost see a sparkle of a tear in his eyes. My first instinct is to reach out to him, but it would only make it harder for him to speak what's on his mind.  
  
"First, I need to say, I'm glad you're back safely. It has been very hard two weeks. I can't lose you. I just want you to consider my feelings and our child when you go on these missions. I don't want you to stop being you, but I don't know how to deal with your being gone."  
  
"I don't do missions to hurt you or our child, Harm. I do it for myself. When I get the chance to do them, it feels like I'm getting another chance to prove myself as a marine and officer. Sometimes I feel like I don't do anything really great, moving. Its these times on missions that I get to renew my strength. Maybe that seems selfish, but it's a part of me. It's like cutting my arm off."  
  
"How do we resolve this without taking your needs away and reconcile my fear for losing you?"  
  
"I face that fear every time you go flying, but I trust in your skills as a flyer. It's the trust that helps me survive through it. Do you trust in my ability?"  
  
"Of course, Mac! It's not that. It's that I've lost so many people that I love, and I'm afraid that no matter how hard you try that I'm destined to lose you."  
  
"I want to come home to you. If it is in my power to come home to you, I will. If you promise to do the same thing than we will always have something to hold on to."  
  
"I'm scared, though."  
  
"Then lets make two promises. First, the one that we will do whatever we can to come home to each other. Second, we take in the risks of the mission we are taking on, and if we feel that it is too dangerous we consider turning it down. If it is in our power not to do it then we won't."  
  
A slight smile crosses his face. "I think I can handle that."  
  
Mac's Apartment  
  
July 4  
  
Mac shook her head as she returned to the present. A part of her hated to remember those two weeks in April, but another part of her knew they needed to have that fight. It allowed them to talk about how they felt about their past, and what their future held with each other.  
  
Almost two months later, she was in her 8th month going out to celebrate Independence Day with Harm alone. They were just going to sit back and enjoy the fireworks, and remember those that fought for our freedom then and ever since.  
  
Luckily they were going casual so she could wear comfortable sweatpants. She couldn't afford those really comfy, beautiful pregnancy clothes the movie stars get to wear. Comfy sweatpants were her usual clothes if she wasn't working.   
  
The knock on my door arouses me from my thoughts once again. The guy is late again, but what's new about that. I open the door to find Harm fidgeting from one foot to another.  
  
"Is there something wrong, Harm?" I ask as I give him a kiss hello.  
  
"No, no nothing at all. Why do you ask?"  
  
"You can't stand still. It usually means you are nervous about something."  
  
"Just worried the fireworks won't be as good as last year's."  
  
"Hmmhmm, sure." I role my eyes, but we head out the door.  
  
We head down to The Mall to watch the fireworks. Even once we get comfortable on a blanket watching, my flyboy still won't sit still.  
  
"Harm, you can tell me whatever is wrong," I tell him.  
  
"I know I can, Sarah. Its just not the right time yet."  
  
"Just let me know when it is."  
  
"Oh you'll know."  
  
I decide to ignore his uneasiness, and try to enjoy the fireworks. It's hard to do when Harm is not acting like his usual self. As it gets closer to the finale, I feel him tense up.  
  
The first fireworks of the finale start, and I feel Harm lean closer to me. I feel his breath on my back, and it sends a shiver down my back.  
  
"Tonight as we celebrate independence and the country we love, I want to celebrate our love for each other. We've known each other for 9 years, and I know we have a child on our way. We have many memories together, some good and some bad, but it was all worth it to get us here." He pauses, and I see him shine something in my face. Its a RING! "Will you marry me?"  
  
I turn around to face him, and I see the fear in his eyes. I gently kiss him before I give him my answer. All I can find to say is, "YES!"  
  
TBC... 


	5. And So On Some Warm

"You Make It Christmas" part 4/5  
  
By Rita Widmer  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own JAG, but my birthday is a week from tomorrow so if anyone is interested in getting it for me, I'll be happy to take it.  
  
AN: Thank you for all the wonderful feedback! I hope you enjoy the last two parts.  
  
And so on some warm summer evening Should the heat get too much for us to take  
  
August, 2005  
  
Harm swept the sweat from his forehead once more. The temps were making records this summer, and it had to be at the same time that Mac was 9 months pregnant. It wasn't like she was letting him forget that fact either.   
  
The air conditioning was not working at her place for some unreasonable reason, and her superintendent was away on vacation somewhere. His place was not even that much cooler for her. She also hated not knowing where to find things, and not having her own bed to sleep in.  
  
Going back into the living room area, he handed her the cold bottle of water she had requested from him. As he walked around to face her, he saw the wince of pain on her face.  
  
"Mac, what's wrong?" He asked her.  
  
"Nothing, your son has decided he wanted to complain about the heat also. Will you help me up? I need to use the little girl's room once again."  
  
He helped her up from the couch, and got her set on her way. "Hey, I thought you said it was going to be a girl," he called out when she was too far away to him.  
  
"I keep changing my mind whenever your son takes revenge on my stomach. A little girl would be much nicer to her poor mother."  
  
"Can't marines handle anything?"  
  
"It's the marine in me that makes it possible to last 9 months with carrying your son. Now leave me alone, I have to use the bathroom."  
  
"You love every moment of it," I mumble to myself. Luckily I'm a secure enough man to know that she really is happy carrying my child. Sometimes I catch her laying her hand down on her stomach, and staring at it with awe. She'll do it until somebody or something stops her.  
  
She enjoyed letting me know all the problems being pregnant causes her to have, and make sure I pay up for punishing her. No one believes me when I tell them how much work she makes me do every night. They just laugh at me.  
  
No one seems to have any sympathy for the poor father. I don't think I've worked so hard as I have these last two months. You want to know something; I really don't mind it at all.   
  
I have my reward. Mac and I are engaged to get married. It was the time we spent trying to make this child that really brought us together, and for that I'll never complain about all the punishment.  
  
Then there is the baby. Mac doesn't always allow me to touch her stomach. I think it makes her self-conscious. When I do, it's magical. I can't wait for the day that I get to hold that child in my arms.   
  
Who would have ever thought this is what I would get when I made that promise over 6 years ago? A part of me never believed we would ever get here, and now I can't imagine my life any other way.  
  
I must be daydreaming once again. Mac is waving her hands in front of my face. It is then that I notice what she has in her other hand.  
  
"It's...it's...." I'm stuttering, and Mac is looking at me like exasperatedly.  
  
"Yes, Harm, it's time to go to the hospital."  
  
Bethesda Hospital  
  
2 hours later  
  
I really don't think my hand is going to recover after going through labor with Mac. Its already showing nail marks from where she held on tightly through the latest bout of contractions.  
  
I think Mac is trying to trick her inner clock into thinking the contractions are closer then they are, because we keep disagreeing on time between each. I have finally learned not to contradict her anymore on times, because she keeps reminding me how I'm always late for every event.  
  
My hand is practically nothing compared to the pain she is in, but I want to complain to somebody. No sympathy for this poor father once again. Doesn't anyone sympathize with us mere men that have to sit back and watch?  
  
The time is passing faster then I thought it would, but the pain in my hand keeps growing exponentially with each passing hour. She is almost ready to start pushing, and I can feel my heart start to race faster. The time is coming, and I'm going to see my child for the first time in the flesh.  
  
A child that is part Mac and part me. In my mind, there is no better combination then that, but what father wouldn't. The scream coming from my marine surprises me as I look back down at her with a smile on my face. She is not enjoying this experience as much as I am.   
  
I try to massage her head and neck as she goes through another contraction. I'm once again surprised when she shoos my hands away.   
  
"You're never touching me again," she grits out between her teeth that are clamped shut.  
  
I put my hands up in surrender motion. I whisper to myself that this is only a passing phase, and once the baby is here she will once again to allow me to touch her. The doctor gives me a sympathetic look. There! Somebody feels sorry for the father.  
  
As the doctor calls, "Push," I try to send her encouraging words, but I only get a look from her. Being stubborn I still do it, because honestly I can't do much to help. This is the only way I know how to help her.  
  
There is a new wail surround the room as I watch the doctor lift up our child. I hurriedly go around the bed so I can't cut the cord. They let Mac hold the child for a moment before taking off with him.  
  
My flyboy smile is back into place as I realize I have a little son. Mac is looking up at me with a big smile on her face. I lean down and kiss her. I don't let up until I hear the doctor clearing her voice.  
  
"There's a little boy waiting to see his parents." She hands my son over to Mac, and walks away leaving us alone.  
  
I look down into those big bright eyes that I could never not recognize. Those are my eyes. In that moment I see my future with my son. He's going to learn how to play baseball and football. He's going to ask me all about flying, and he is going to want to go to the Academy. He'll be one day one of the greatest flyers ever. He's going to have three generations smiling down on him and blessing his want to fly. This child is going to bless our future with great things.  
  
The tears are flowing down my face now. I lean down to whisper in Mac's ear, "I love you," and then I tell our little son that I love him too. Life is perfect right now.  
  
TBC... 


	6. Simply Say That I'm Yours

"You Make It Christmas" 5/5  
  
By Rita Widmer  
  
Disclaimer: I still don't own it. Life has to go on.  
  
AN: Here's the last part, and I hope people enjoy it. I have enjoyed this trip into fluff fanfiction. As an author I wanted to expand my horizons, and try to write a realistic fluff story.   
  
Simply say that I'm yours and you make it Christmas Each day of love that we make  
  
Academy Chapel  
  
Oct. 16, 2005  
  
Mac cooed at her son as she had her hair done by Harriet. Her son was going to walk with her down the aisle. She was going to carry him down so he could be part of the wedding ceremony.  
  
Harriet smiled down at the site of Mac playing with her son, but she couldn't help but to tease a little. "Ma'am, you know you've got to sit still, or your hair will be ruined."  
  
"I can't help it if my son has that flyboy smile, and has me already entranced. At least with Harm it took me a couple of weeks to get entranced."  
  
"It took you that long?" Harriet was stunned by the thought.  
  
"Well trying to protect my uncle, and then the trail and stuff kept me from falling for it. My mind was on other things that were much more important."  
  
"I can understand that. So tell me when did you first realize you were in love with him?"  
  
"Would you believe not until after he went down in the ocean the night before my wedding?"  
  
"I have a hard time believing it. Why did it take that long?"  
  
"When I first thought we could be more than friends was just before he left to go flying. I had pushed my feelings and thoughts away thinking I wasn't that important to him if he wanted to leave me behind."  
  
"He didn't want to leave anyone behind. He wanted to fulfill his dream."  
  
"I know that now, but back then he didn't try to make me feel that he wasn't wanting to leave me behind. When he came back before the cruise had ended, I thought maybe he could be coming back for me. I couldn't get past the hurt of his leaving, and when I had gotten past it I tried to talk to him about it."  
  
"And you came back with Mic's ring?"  
  
"I did. I thought after he turned me down that I was completely wrong about his sharing any feelings beyond friendship. It's not like I had been asking for the words, but just any sign that their would be a future for us. Mic came along when I was down, and picked me up with his words of love. Something I had been starving for all my life."  
  
"Would you have married him if he had not left?"  
  
"I really don't know. He gave me an out before I had a chance to make that decision. Now I thank him every day for walking out. I hope he's found that same happiness."  
  
"You are very lucky, and so is Harm."  
  
"Thanks, now lets get finished dressed."  
  
Harm's Room at the Chapel   
  
Harm paced the small room as he waited for his time to enter the chapel to wait for Mac. It was the happiest and scariest moment of his life. He wanted to capture this moment forever, because after today they would never be separate entities, but one together.  
  
Their son had made them a family, but today they became a traditional family. He loved their son so much that it made him ache. If he had made so many different decisions that child would not be in his life. It was meant to be this way. Perfect in every way.  
  
He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned around to find Sturgis smiling at him.  
  
"You aren't nervous, are you, buddy?" Sturgis teased him.  
  
"Of course not. Why should I be scared to marry the woman I love with all my heart? Now nervous that she will decide that she made a mistake? Yes, I'm very nervous."  
  
"I doubt that, Harm. She's known that she was in love with you for years. I still remember when she spit it out in her office to me."  
  
"She told you that she was in love with me years ago?"  
  
"Yes, she did. Why it took you so long to get here I will never understand."  
  
"Maybe if you had told me what she had said, I would have told her my feelings sooner."  
  
"And risk the wrath of a marine? You must be nuts."  
  
"I would have stopped her with a kiss. She would have forgotten that you had told her secret. She probably end up thanking you."  
  
"You do have a huge ego, Harm."  
  
"Hey, I have been able to set her internal clock haywire."  
  
"Well my wristwatch says its time to go out. Come on lets grab Bud."  
  
It didn't take long after they had gotten to the front before Mac appeared before him, smiling. In her arms, she held their son who was awfully quiet. She handed her son to Harriet so she could take Harm's hand.  
  
I dos were spoken that day, and they told each other how much they meant to the other. Their love was sealed with each vow they spoke together. Life was changing for them that day. They now had an eternal Christmas present for each other, and neither would ever break it.  
  
The Hotel  
  
3 a.m. the next morning  
  
They had just made love for the first time since Mac had gotten to large to do it anymore. They had vowed to wait until their wedding night after he proposed. The wait was worth it.  
  
Harm got out of bed, and grabbed his boxers from the floor. Mac looked at him oddly, but just waited. He grabbed his guitar from the corner, and started to tune it softly.  
  
"I heard this song last Christmas, and it made me think about memories of holidays past that we spent together. I want to sing it to you."  
  
You make it Christmas each morning And you make every night like New Year's Eve, Then you light up my sky like the fourth of July, Such an April fool I to believe,  
  
And so on some warm summer evening Should the heat get too much for us to take, Simply say that I'm yours and you make it Christmas Each day of love that we make  
  
The End 


End file.
